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The fire, which ignited late Sunday, burned dry brush across the southern lake bed near the Lake in the Forest RV Resorts, a snowbird campground 20 miles east of Ocala.

Firefighters from three agencies — U.S. Forest Service, Florida Forest Service and Marion Fire Rescue — battled the blaze Monday, keeping it in the lake bed and away from the campground of RVs and cabins.

Officials set backfires to burn dry underbrush near the campground, off Southeast 183rd Avenue Road, to keep the fire under control. The campground is at the end of the limerock Southeast 44th Street, just east of 183rd.

Area residents should expect smoky conditions along SR 40 and surrounding roadways for days, according to Ludie Bond, a Florida Forest Service spokeswoman speaking on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service.

Though the fire was only 60 percent contained, which means fire lines have been plowed around 60 percent of its perimeter, officials said Monday it was under control.

U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Mike Herrin said the blaze was started by a primitive campfire. Such fires were banned recently because of dry conditions. A primitive campfire is one a person makes on the ground and is not set in an approved fire pit, or in fire rings located at most federal campgrounds.

Herrin said there were signs that somebody tried to put the fire out after it got away from them. The U.S. Forest Service's investigative team was still following leads to determine who started the blaze.

Herrin warned that residents who start a wildfire — even if unintentionally — can be charged criminally and/or be required to pay for the property damage and the cost to the departments to put out the blaze.

Herrin said officials feel like "we have a better chance to contain this one" compared with the Hopkins Prairie fire in early March.

Herrin said that fire, which destroyed 10 homes and a dozen out buildings, was also caused by a primitive campfire.

A spark from that fire south of Salt Springs, just west of State Road 19, ignited the forest. Driven by wind, the fire raced east toward Lake George, jumping SR 19.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta is reviewing the case and charges could be filed, Herrin said Monday. He could not provide more details until the investigation is complete.

Fire officials said they can keep the current blaze under control as long as conditions stay the way they are. It continues to burn in muck where firefighters cannot reach the fire.

They were completing fire lines around what, before the drought, used to be the shore line of Halfmoon Lake. Fire officials said they were setting blazes ahead of the fire, or what is called back burning. They hope to burn off the last 60 acres. In the end, 500 acres will have burned, officials estimate.

The U.S. Forest Service helicopter Fire Guard 1 was flying over the smoky blaze to map the acreage and help with the tactical approach. Herrin said it has been years since Halfmoon Lake actually had water at the burn site.

"We need tropical storms and hurricanes so it will fill up again," he said.

Since Jan. 1 at Marion County's official rain gauge in Ocala, only 3.58 inches of rain have been measured — 8 inches below normal for that time. Since the county is the size of Rhode Island, rain totals range significantly in different areas of the county.

As firefighters battled the blaze, nearby at Lake in the Forest RV Resorts, retirees Ron Rugh, 69, of Indiana, and Ed Gee, of Vermont, watched.

Rugh said all three firefighting agencies were doing a great job battling the blaze and keeping them informed.

At 8 a.m. Monday, Tom Aull, 69, from Maryland, said the smoke was so thick that when he looked out his RV window he couldn't see the clubhouse just a hundred feet away.

Bond said smoke could be an issue on area roadways for days to come, resembling the fires that smoldered for months in the same area last April. Those fires — dubbed Farmersbay and Lake Bryant 14 — frustrated residents, who complained about the unhealthy smoky conditions.

"Dry lake bed fires plagued us last year," Bond noted. "We could see similar conditions again this time."

Fire officials say rain is needed desperately. Though the winter and early spring is typically dry, it has been much drier than normal.

On Monday, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for Marion County averaged 504 — which is considered dangerous — on the 800-point scale.

Every 100 points on the drought index equals 1 inch a person must dig into the ground to find moisture.

In the Waccasassa district, which includes Marion County, the average index was 431 on Monday. In the northern part of Florida, counties are saturated, boasting indexes near 100.

The Marion County Multi-Agency Wildland Task Force — comprised of local, state and federal officials — met briefly on Monday and decided to continue the voluntary burn ban.

Marion Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Greene said residents should postpone outdoor burning until conditions improve. Residents are urged to take yard debris to the Baseline Landfill or a county recycling center.

Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.

<p>A campfire has been blamed for a 400-plus-acre wildfire that continued to burn Monday in the dry bed of Halfmoon Lake in the Ocala National Forest, just south of State Road 40.</p><p>The fire, which ignited late Sunday, burned dry brush across the southern lake bed near the Lake in the Forest RV Resorts, a snowbird campground 20 miles east of Ocala.</p><p>Firefighters from three agencies — U.S. Forest Service, Florida Forest Service and Marion Fire Rescue — battled the blaze Monday, keeping it in the lake bed and away from the campground of RVs and cabins.</p><p>Officials set backfires to burn dry underbrush near the campground, off Southeast 183rd Avenue Road, to keep the fire under control. The campground is at the end of the limerock Southeast 44th Street, just east of 183rd.</p><p>Area residents should expect smoky conditions along SR 40 and surrounding roadways for days, according to Ludie Bond, a Florida Forest Service spokeswoman speaking on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service.</p><p>Though the fire was only 60 percent contained, which means fire lines have been plowed around 60 percent of its perimeter, officials said Monday it was under control.</p><p>U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Mike Herrin said the blaze was started by a primitive campfire. Such fires were banned recently because of dry conditions. A primitive campfire is one a person makes on the ground and is not set in an approved fire pit, or in fire rings located at most federal campgrounds.</p><p>Herrin said there were signs that somebody tried to put the fire out after it got away from them. The U.S. Forest Service's investigative team was still following leads to determine who started the blaze.</p><p>Herrin warned that residents who start a wildfire — even if unintentionally — can be charged criminally and/or be required to pay for the property damage and the cost to the departments to put out the blaze.</p><p>Herrin said officials feel like "we have a better chance to contain this one" compared with the Hopkins Prairie fire in early March.</p><p>Herrin said that fire, which destroyed 10 homes and a dozen out buildings, was also caused by a primitive campfire.</p><p>A spark from that fire south of Salt Springs, just west of State Road 19, ignited the forest. Driven by wind, the fire raced east toward Lake George, jumping SR 19.</p><p>The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta is reviewing the case and charges could be filed, Herrin said Monday. He could not provide more details until the investigation is complete.</p><p>Fire officials said they can keep the current blaze under control as long as conditions stay the way they are. It continues to burn in muck where firefighters cannot reach the fire.</p><p>They were completing fire lines around what, before the drought, used to be the shore line of Halfmoon Lake. Fire officials said they were setting blazes ahead of the fire, or what is called back burning. They hope to burn off the last 60 acres. In the end, 500 acres will have burned, officials estimate.</p><p>The U.S. Forest Service helicopter Fire Guard 1 was flying over the smoky blaze to map the acreage and help with the tactical approach. Herrin said it has been years since Halfmoon Lake actually had water at the burn site.</p><p>"We need tropical storms and hurricanes so it will fill up again," he said.</p><p>Since Jan. 1 at Marion County's official rain gauge in Ocala, only 3.58 inches of rain have been measured — 8 inches below normal for that time. Since the county is the size of Rhode Island, rain totals range significantly in different areas of the county.</p><p>As firefighters battled the blaze, nearby at Lake in the Forest RV Resorts, retirees Ron Rugh, 69, of Indiana, and Ed Gee, of Vermont, watched.</p><p>Rugh said all three firefighting agencies were doing a great job battling the blaze and keeping them informed.</p><p>At 8 a.m. Monday, Tom Aull, 69, from Maryland, said the smoke was so thick that when he looked out his RV window he couldn't see the clubhouse just a hundred feet away.</p><p>Bond said smoke could be an issue on area roadways for days to come, resembling the fires that smoldered for months in the same area last April. Those fires — dubbed Farmersbay and Lake Bryant 14 — frustrated residents, who complained about the unhealthy smoky conditions.</p><p>"Dry lake bed fires plagued us last year," Bond noted. "We could see similar conditions again this time."</p><p>Fire officials say rain is needed desperately. Though the winter and early spring is typically dry, it has been much drier than normal.</p><p>On Monday, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for Marion County averaged 504 — which is considered dangerous — on the 800-point scale.</p><p>Every 100 points on the drought index equals 1 inch a person must dig into the ground to find moisture.</p><p>In the Waccasassa district, which includes Marion County, the average index was 431 on Monday. In the northern part of Florida, counties are saturated, boasting indexes near 100.</p><p>The Marion County Multi-Agency Wildland Task Force — comprised of local, state and federal officials — met briefly on Monday and decided to continue the voluntary burn ban.</p><p>Marion Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Greene said residents should postpone outdoor burning until conditions improve. Residents are urged to take yard debris to the Baseline Landfill or a county recycling center.</p><p>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.</p>